Paying for chairman’s private membership: NA takes note of HEC’s transgressions

The National Assembly (NA) directed the Ministry of Education and Training to prepare a report on the issue in a week, along with the details of the foreign trips of other HEC officers.

Minister for Education and Training Sheikh Waqas Akram was replying to a calling attention notice. Waqas said Leghari had gone to visit the National Defence College instead of responding to the parliamentary notice.

Yasmeen Rehman, in the chair in the absence of Speaker Fehmida Mirza and Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, viewed this as breach of the house. Akram said around Rs40 billion have been allocated to the HEC, but whenever they are asked about expenditure or other affairs, HEC officials term it an attempt to undermine the authority’s autonomy.

He said the HEC has flouted several rules of the Establishment Division and that references had also been filed against the officers responsible, but no action had been taken yet.


“Membership of the Islamabad Club was not included in the perks and privileges entitled to the chairman as it is not transferable to his successor,” Akram said.

He also brought up the issue of foreign trips by HEC officials. He said the prime minister had questioned the HEC about this, but the authority had not responded.  He added that the appointments made by the HEC on MP scale are illegal, as notified by the Establishment Division during Pervez Musharraf’s government.

He said only the PM is authorised to recruit staff on MP scale, but surprisingly, the HEC allocates MP scales to officials, and has also granted an extension on the MP scale.

Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur, who asked the question, suggested that the government put the HEC chairman on the Exit Control List as he was a dual national. Talpur suggested that the National Accountability Bureau be directed to probe into the matter.

MNA Akram believes that private universities getting substantial research funds from the HEC are in breach of the laws. He pointed towards an HEC project, which will be given to a private university unless the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Training objects.

The minister said the government has the right to ask where the funds are going. He lamented that bureaucrats and journalists had been obliged by the commission through scholarships granted to their family members.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2013.